"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." - Angela Davis

What is the Problem? 

The state is currently in a feasibility study to start the construction of a new prison in Vermont. This is an investment in incarceration. We know incarceration does not address the needs of our community and disproportionately impacts the lives of poor, LGBTQ+, black & brown, disabled bodies and people who struggle with substance abuse disorder and mental health:

Vermont DOC currently has a prison population of 1,288 people.

• Cis men: 1,196 | Cis women : 78 | Trans: 14 (VT Department of Corrections, 2020)
• Nearly one in six trans people (16%), including 21% of transgender women, have been incarcerated at some point in their lives—far higher than the rate for the general population (Survived & Punished 2012).

Black folx makeup 9.7% of the Vermont prison population, even though they only account for 1.4% of Vermont’s overall population (US Census, 2019). 

• American Indians & Alaskan Natives makeup 1.2% of the Vermont prison population, while only accounting for 0.4% of Vermont’s overall population
• Vermont is one of five states that incarcerates Black people in state prisons at a rate that is more than five times the rate of the imprisonment of whites. In Vermont, 1 in 14 Black men are imprisoned (The Sentencing Project, 2014)

We know from national statistics that the oppressed groups listed above are disproportionately affected by the criminal legal system, however Vermont does not provide adequate statistics regarding all marginalized populations. 

Why You Should Care: 

Incarceration impacts us all. 1 in 17 children in Vermont have an incarcerated parent; meaning that approximately 6,000 children experience parental separation due to incarceration in Vermont each year (Resilience Beyond Incarceration, 2016). Our tax dollars pay $160M in Corrections annually - not including residual costs. This is an enormous cost that could be dispersed to community services that better address the needs of folx that are incarcerated. Why is it easier for the state to invest in systems that create harm than systems that prevent harm? Investing substantial funding into the construction of a new prison without any exploration into funding community services that are better equipped with addressing harm translates where the state’s values and priorities truly lay. 

Prisons are not safe and trauma-informed spaces for true healing and accountability. In Vermont, the recidivism rate is 52.5%, meaning more than half of the people incarcerated in Vermont return to prison after being released (VT DOC, 2015). This signals that our re-entry supports & services are not robust enough and that prisons do not solve the problems that entangle folx in the legal system, but perpetuates them. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Corrections was able to release approximately half of the prison population in multiple correctional facilities throughout the state. State’s Attorneys acknowledge that there was no rise in crime during this period. We know that they were supervised under a less punitive model that favors a more holistic approach to rehabilitation. The changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have illustrated that different approaches are feasible in Vermont. We are doing this work and it’s working.

The Solution:

                                    Reimagining our community!

The vision for prison abolition takes perseverance to come to fruition. Prisons cannot be removed overnight and supports must be in place before we are situated to close all prisons. Abolition is about working toward that vision as a community. These are the steps we must take to transform our community and realize the vision of abolition:

• Community Education -  communicate the harmful effects of incarceration and develop alternatives to incarceration through community accountability and transformative justice training.
• Redefine harm and rehabilitation -  shift our priorities to address harm before it occurs, implement individualized and holistic approaches to healing, and pursue decarceration by releasing elders, primary caregivers, those incarcerated for technical violations, and criminalized survivors of domestic and sexual violence
• Center Directly Impacted Voices - take the lead of currently and formerly incarcerated people, their families, and communities who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration
• Meet Basic Needs -  provide adequate housing, transportation, food assistance, health care, and employment to all, and expand mutual aid services.
• Invest in Community Supports - expand free mental health and harm reduction-based drug treatment services, create more community centers, provide short-term and long-term support services, and increase access to education and childcare.

We want our tax dollars to nourish our communities by funding infrastructure that supports everyone in Vermont’s ability to thrive and addresses harm before it occurs, and responds to harm in holistic ways when it does.

If you want more information about alternatives, please see our website and FAQ

What is WJFI? 

We are an abolitionist organization that advocates for all woman, girls, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people directly impacted by sytems of punishment & surveillance. At WJFI we are reimagining a Vermont without prisons. Our work of advocacy, education, organizing, policy work and support of our directly impacted community propels Vermont to be a state wherein all people have their basic needs met and have the ability to thrive, creating safe & vibrant communities.

Calls to Action:

• Join the NNP — Reimagining VT campaign
• Contact Governor Phil Scott, Senators, and other local representatives and say NO to new prison construction
• Sign the No New Prisons petition 
• Follow us on social media for updates and share our posts to reveal the state's plan to further invest in incarceration

Why Abolition?

We understand that systems designed to oppress our communities cannot be fixed. Reformist approaches assume that the system is broken, while abolition states that the system is not actually broken; it is working perfectly in the way it was designed to. The prison industrial complex is made up of interlocking systems of dominance that presume caging and control are necessary steps in responding to harm. We believe that harm is derivative of systemic failures.The good news? Abolition is about the boundless potential of our collective well-being when we invest in caring for one another. The abolitionist vision aims to dismantle society’s dependence on incarceration and pushes us to address the social issues that lead people to becoming entangled in the legal system before they occur. Abolition requires us to respond to harm in a way that continues to honor a person’s humanity & dignity above vengeance & punishment.  

Sources:

The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons | The Sentencing Project)

https://doc.vermont.gov/sites/correct/files/documents/PopulationReport_12-31-20.pdf​

https://ljfo.vermont.gov/assets/Uploads/0b6923e633/DOC-FY21-Budget-Presentation-v3.pdf​

https://lrcvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/facts-resources-VLS-11-30-16.pdf